2004 Yamaha Raptor 660R, Nothing was quite as comfortable in the dunes with a wide variety of riders as the Raptor. The snappy power of the big engine was well suited in the dunes; it was appreciated by casual riders for its ease of use and abundant power, while more advanced riders employed the grunt to launch the machine skyward. http://www.atvrider.com/yamaha-660r-raptor Sand whoops were also tackled easily by the big machine: Big travel, big power and relatively light weight (about middle of this pack) made for easy whoop skimming. The only time the high cg reared its head was with a tendency to wheelie on the throttle, but even the most timid riders weren't intimidated in the sand. No hill was out of easy reach with the Raptor. The Yamaha was perhaps least suited to motocross. Its tall stance served it well only in whoops. Cornering was best done by slowing to a crawl with the very good brakes, flicking it around the corner and opening up the big powerplant, as carrying any speed in the corners was asking to be dropped on your head. Adding to the Raptor's pain on the track were its Dunlop radials (also mounted to the Suzuki/ Kawasaki), which were particularly ill-suited to such duty--grabbing too much when you least wanted them to, yet letting go when you needed the traction most. Jumping was good, with long-travel, plush suspension, but as stated before, the stock carbs could cause some sputtery landings. Ironically for the big-motored machine, technical trail riding was its forte. Wide-open trails and washes made it handle nervously so it never felt very settled in corners. In uneven terrain, however, the torquey powerplant, trail-oriented tires and long-travel suspension all conspired for a fun, controllable ride. On our day in Nevada's mountain trails, it was a fast favorite of all assembled. One rookie learned to wheelie on the Raptor, while one of our racers mentioned that he'd forgotten how much fun the Raptor was in stuff like this. While excelling in dunes and tight trails, the tall-feeling Raptor was a dramatic let-down in any sort of high-speed maneuvering. This big-time motor (uncorked with minimal money) needed a big-time chassis--wider, shorter and lighter--to let it really shine. Still, a real winner in the areas it worked best in. http://www.atvrider.com/yamaha-660r-raptor
